The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-06-28
REAL SWORD PLAY.
Fighting in Mexico for More Than Gate
Money.

From, the PittSbavg Dispatch
'Pshaw," calculated Old Sport last night,
''those sword combats that Ross and Walsh
are working over the country are purely
exhibitions, and nothing in them. The fact
of the matter is that scientific sword ex-
hibition has but little interest for the gen.
eral public nowadays, and the more scien-
tific they are the less interesting to a large
majority. Time was when almost every
one could fence little; then a contest for
points was interesting; but the times have
changed in the past forty years,
and comparatively few know anything
about fencing The general public has
been used to see these stage combats, where
they knock sparks from the blades in one,
two, three, four up and down machine bat
tie where the bass dram is used with telling
effect and the curtain drops on a dead
villain; but let the actors do scientific
bout, and it would fall very fiat ON an audi
euce of the present day. A genuine en-
counter with swords, however, is the most
thrilling and intensely exciting thing
imaginable"
Ibid you ever see genuine encounter for
blood-a duel with swords % was asked
81 should say had" answered the sport.
1.-The first one | ever saw was many years
ago, when was young man, and on it
more depended than any | have ever seen
since. had been travelling about over the
world and had brought up in the City of
Mexico At that time the Mexicans had
even less love for the Americans than they
have now, and had to keep my eye wide
open all the time to keep from being drawn
into brawl in which the chances were
/ would have a knife or sword thrust
through my ribs. One day fell in with a
young fellow, an American who had been
in Spain, and had bested all the Spanish
swordsmen of that day. He was going I'M
der the name of Tom Montvey, though that
was not his proper cognomen, and a finer
looking and more companionable young fell
low you never saw He spoke the Spanish
language like native, and, made up in the
costume of the country, he readily passed
for a Mexican
1--WE became great friends, and he pre-
vailed upon me to take a trip with him
through the country. / found that in the
little towns and villages remote from the
capital the feeling against an American
was more bitter, and | would have Jared
badly had it not been for Tom. We stopped
for long time in the city of Guanajuato,
capital of the State of that name. There were
many Spaniards and native Mexicans there
who considered themselves masters
of the sword, and Tom soon had his hands
full. never saw man with such a sword
arm. His wrist was like STEEL and when en-
gagged in a combat he appeared to me more
like fiend than human being. His great,
broad chest would heave, his nostrils would
expand, and his eyes glitter with a most
devilish light when engaged in a contest,
for he hated Mexican, and delighted in
seeing their blood upon his weapon.
'Well he conquered several of their best
Swordsmen and the whole country was talk
ing of his prowess They called him devil,
and many gay Mexican youth would have
given his entire fortune to have been able
beautiful SenoritaS of Guanajuato were
smitten with Toms handsome figure, and
to tease their lovers, it became fashionable
for them to promise their hand as
soon as the lover should succeed in
wrestling a victory from Tom. In this
way it came about that almost every gay
youth in the city cordially disliked Tom, and
they hated me because was an American,
and, if | do say it myself, could handle
sword about as well as some of them. Things
were getting warm, and to clap the climax,
l found favor in the dark eyes of a rosy
Tipped beauty, and two or three yellow
skinned youngsters who had in vain sought
her smiles put up job to shut out my light.
''Tom got wind of the affair, and fore
warned is forearmed We were to attend
grand festival given by one of the nabobs of
the State, whose residence and beautiful
grounds were in the outskirts of the city.
This was the occasion which was to be taken
advantage of by four young Greasers to
forever settle my chances with the sweetest
little Mexican girl | ever saw. Well, we
went to the fete, and was SO taken up with
the fascinating senorita, that forgot about
the scheme on my life; but, thanks to ever
vigilant Tom, he was cognizant of every
move made by the enemy. OF course he
was the great lion of the occasion, but as
everybody thought he was Mexican it was
all right
ITO make a long story short, the four con-
spirators set upon me in a little grove near
the house. The moon was shining through
the branches of the trees, and, save for the
shadows, it was light as day. l was taken
by surprise, and never thought of a sword;
but banged the first fellow pelt in the
jaw with my fist, and laid him out The
others were making at me with drawn
swords when Tom jumped in and took up
the fight. Talk about sword play. l don't
believe there was ever another battle like it,
Toms cuts, thrusts and parties were so
rapid that it looked as though he was using
a dozen swords. Not a word was spoken,
and | stood there like a jay watching the
fight | suppose | should have come to my
senses had Tom been getting the worst of it;
but, as it was | never moved until three
Mexicans were stretched on the grass The
fellow had knocked down had disappeared
THAT was a sword contest that was a
contest Though it wasn't in the regular
order for a stake, it would have cost us our
lives had Tom lost. As it was, we made a
dead sneak out of the city that night, and
got back to the City of Mexico as fast as
we could. would never have been here if
we had remained to see the result of the
fight
'Well, Tom cleaned out all the best
swordsmen in the country, and when he re-
turned to the States he brought Spanish
wife with him. l hear from him OCCASION
ally now. He taught fencing for a time in
New York, and is now teaching young as
pirants the use of his favorite weapon in a
city not far from Chicago under an assumed
name. He is an old man now, but a most
remarkable one, and | would put up large
sack of dust that if he should enter into a
contest he could beat any swordsman in
America to-day. He can give any of them
pointers on their business. You couldn't get
him into fake, though; he is too fine strung
for that
HITMORIST AMI IcDTTOR